Word Up (video game)

Word Up also known as Word Soup is a popular SWP (Skill With Prizes) game. Located on the itbox and other terminals, the game was developed by Big Fizz Games.

Similar to other word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, and Bookworm; the object of the game is to create valid words from a randomised selection of letter tiles arranged in a 13x9 matrix. Each word scores points according to the letters used therein (sum of all letters) multiplied by total number of letters in the word. points from all words entered are accumulated. Hence the word LAVA would score (5+1+4+1)x4=44. The hierarchy of letters is similar to that of Scrabble; Q and Z are the highest-scoring tiles (each 10) followed by X and J (each 8) and so on, the most notable variance is that here L is worth five as opposed to just one in Scrabble. The player starts with two minutes to find as many words as he can; if he manages to use Q, Z, X, or J in any word he is awarded a further 10 seconds. After each successful entry the letters used are discarded with the matrix replacing those letters used with surrounding tiles from above and to the left, a void is thus formed to the top left of the game screen. There is an additional 500 point bonus awarded for clearing the grids with allowable words.

A tournament running on the itbox terminal ended on 22 April 2007. Prizes available for this national tournament included £1000 for the player with the highest final score achieved over the course of the tournament and 49 other cash prizes. This tournament was won by VAJINALBOB Word Soup National High Score Boards

A reincarnation of the game was brought out in August 2007 with the name Word Soup; gameplay is all-but identical to the previous issue. the game's wordlist has undergone some seemingly minor improvements and arrows appear connecting selected letters, aside from this Word Soup can be considered as synonymous with the Word Up described herein.

Word Up is legally classified as a "skill with prizes" (SWP) game and therefore is not considered gambling. Each game costs 50 pence and prizes available are £1, £2, £3, £4, £5, £6, £8 and the £10 jackpot on a progressive basis of supersession. (Previous versions of the game advertised a £20 jackpot). Much of the appeal of the game however, is not in the gambling potential but in the creation of top scores which remain on the site until they can be beaten by another player.

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Wikipedia